Telephone-key and means for actuating the same.



TELEPHOHE KEY'AND MEANS FOR AGZUATING THE SAME. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26, 1907.

TELEPHONE KEY AND MEANS FOR AGTUATING THESAME.

APPLICATiOI? FILED AUG. 26, 1907.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

s SHEETS-SEEBT s.

llhllfillE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM CHRISTENSEN, OF BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, 015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- ?ORATION OF NEW YORK.

TELEPHONE-KEY AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

Application filed August 26, 1907. Serial No. 390,204.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM CHRISTEN- srN, residing at'Belmont, in the county-of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain improvements in Telehone-leys and Means for Actuating the Same, of which the following is a specification.

-switching operations are performed. Iii

This invention relates to. means for actuating keys included in the connecting or cord circuits used by operators for switching telephone lines, it being directed particularly to the release of listening keys contained in circuits constituting a portion of a system in which both manual and mechanical exchanges of this character each operator is provided with a suitable number of cord circuits, say' twenty-five, one extremity of each cord having a connecting plug by means of which subscribers calls may be answered in the manner usual in manual switching practice, while associated with the cords are electromechanical apparatus or series of' ing to digits or other characters designativc.

of lines, offices or districts. The operator upon noting the display of a line signal picks up the plug of an idle cord, inserts it in the ack indicated, throws the listening key of the cord used, receives the subscribers order, and proceeds to depress the keys of: the controller in accordance with said order to start the movable members oftlie selectors upon their search for the wanted. linc l As the number is being'tlius registered the operator should repeat it to the calling subscriber, and, if necessary, be able to receive a correction. For this reason the listening keys have locking means for retaining themin their active position until released. As it has been proposed heretofore to arrange the apparatus, the operator, after coin'let ing her manipulation of the controller. ey's,

was required to select from among her group the'liaiid from above the-keyboard through a considerable distance, perhaps a foot or.

more, and shift this listening key to its initial position. This calls for both mental and physical effort which may appreciably decrease the quickness of operation. The object of my invention is 'to increase the operators efficiency by reducin to a -minimum the exertion required for. tliis act of release, and it consists in providing the listening keys'of each operator with a controlling means common to all of said keys, and, furthermore, in associating this means with the keys of the seiector controller.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l illustrates diagrammatically two of a number of cord-circuits situated at the position of a single operator, one of said circuits being shown as joined to-a selecting apparatus; Fig. 2 1s a similar, representation of the operators controller for all the cords; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the controller keyboard; and Fig. 41 is an enlarged and partially diagrammatic representation of one of the listening keys in side elevation.

Referring to Fig. ."1, C, C? designate cord circuits forming a portion of thejcquipment of a telephone operator, and each comprising main conductors L, L and a third-conductor L, which terminate at one end of the cord in the tip, ringand sleeve, respectively, of the plug P. These plugs may coiiperatc -with any one of the answering jacks J,

situated before the operator, to which-are connected the substation lines L and the line signals 0 associated with the jacks and controlled in any suitable manner to indicate the calls of the subscribers. The substation liiics are also multiplcd, as shown at the right of Fig. 1, to fixed terminals 8 of electromechanical switches S, each .of which iiaportion of a selecting apparatus 1, one of'which a pears'infl ig. 1'. This switch has-a setof or arms 8 .to .Which'the conductors of the cord C are shown as united, the selector of 4 the other cord being omitted'from the drawing. The selecting apparatus furnished by the switches with theirrelays and other mechanism is not essential to this invention an my o y u ual. ore v ni attyra threemovable contact members effect- 5 upon-751mm,

. ing theecallingsttliscriber r iaybeeaused to posite. end

' is important-is yillivtthere and the same is true o'f'the mechanisms and else to r a t the frame in Fig. 1, it brings into contact by means-0t the co Mai 1 pairs: bfhsriringstlfi, 1 E

s liloveinchtito the left .2

1'7 ;;"-18,:-1S andslQ 19 separated-normally blosedtcontactsi;20, 20 T he'tcontaotsa 7 aro: without p menses, tShiXEt'l1ZIt-. the spring 20l=withstheispring ltl serves to. hold the}; sector; with its: ifingci a normally:'-central'- positions They there fore: :n'eed' not :be *turther xconsidered. .The contacts 18,"18 ariclqltlg;lliconircctleads L and L t'ovthe; operators .telephon'cgset, indicate'dxat Ia, :with thefioordstrands ,Ihfllld' L The contacts 16,116? fi ler lllclflll'fiul t with an electromagnet; M constituting an element of thearkey T .K, gits av indingiii b ei ng; in' a A bra nch of aimulti'pl'e onidnctorilh whiclfisyith con.-

I armgt-ure -2lfot' the ina netm is spring 22,,conrenient ly oliitheifiat or lea, typv and secured atone end; t in'lifile at the op ie armature is Each operator. 151s; an appzrratus T (Fig. 21);; thy; means; of :wlriolnihc selector or selectors associated avith any cord nscd;-i'n-.,answerline .called s pick outnhetermi aL o ,4

As regardsgtheipresentyinventionftlie general arrangements rid-1o pemt'io ihis, Controller sof no; consequence said by; suitablc rcl-ays -o term ine th trayel .o

1 I 12 of the key. Rising from the sector is a es-arresteeseelils:thsersrQ ator to move it, While depending below the iced "and arm in ll the cords at a which will 1 ns 3P1 nerd mot,

member or bar 23, preferabl presentingan 7 this fiiiger piceinay belocated in the same to thekeys K as is thespacing bar y gwru to the jchara'cter keys. It is "readily ever digitkeysl'i may'have just touched. re vlgary23, lie-illustrated, is mounted upontwo 1 24, 24' guided by openings in a plate 25. Soiral, springs 26, 2'6 surround the guide nsand' inaintain the key in a normally #l'd'lSBd position; The finger piece also has a pin or projection 27, extending through a third opening in the base plate and coiiper' 'atingnvith aspring 28 of a contact device, so lll'fihwllen the key is depressed said spring will be separated from a companion spring 29.-

The s Wings 28 and 29 control, in part, a circuit which, in the present instance,- consists of the previously mentioned conductor L extending from one pole of a battery B, the other pole of which is grounded, through the windings of the electromagnets M of all keys K at the position of the operator using the controller T, and through normally separated springs 16, 16 of said keys to ground.

When the operator observes the lighting of a line lamp 0, she inserts the plug P of an unused cord G in the indicated jack J, ai'id by means of its finger piece moves the key K of said cor'd' so that the armature 21 approaches the pole of its magnet M, and the'ai'ni 1 1,v through its'insulating collar, closes the set of contacts at the right.' As

soon as the springs 16, 16 meet, current flows from the battery 13 through the normally closed springs 28 and 29013 key K conductor Lv and winding ofmagnet- M to conductors L and L and the cord strands c through the springs 18, 18 and 19, 19. The operator may at once removeher hand from the listening key, and upon receiving the orderand while repeating it to the calling subscriber register it upon the keys K of the 'jcontrollcr T. If no correction of the number ismade by the subscriber, theoperator atterdepressing the necessary selecting kegs is ready to receive another order, since t e seekingfor-.thetcrminixls of the desired line, testing then and ringingv the called suboes von automatically; But before ding 0911- can be I answered I the s tsnust .bed sco e d; f h-whic'h it ha's just been used. To

t-his,the operator in .whose switchia tus. my, invention is embodied vseek ,ior the listening v key preyicmslyinscd nor oarry the hand to it. In-

' stea tl,.;upon.coin leting the correct registration ofithe-num previously called, withits armature ic-gs 1t and ic i of he key in the ct ceases to attract This almovable eled opens the the operators new call with acts just delows the spring ments to their in contacts, including set. She can now answer a an idle cord, repeating the scribed.

It may be that, at connection is up, the op t listen in for the purpose of superv n this case the probably would not be removed from the listening key, and t would then be easier to restore it by direct actuation rather than by the use or" the common controlling key. To furnish a certain lock, the attraction of the magnets for ti eir armatures is time while the 'made so strong that disarrangement might be somewhat diilicult. for the operator, were it not for the fact that the action of the locking means to direct release is modified by the mounting of the armature upon the spring 22. For this reason the operator has to first move the sector and arm only against the resistance of the spring, this being considerably less than that offered by the magnet, until the contact springs 16, 16

are parted. This opens the circuit of the magnet, destroying its attractive force and leaving the ke free to assume its normal position aided y the s ring 16.

Having thus de'scri ed my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patcut:

1. In a telephone exchange system, the combination with a plurality of o erators circuits for connecting substation -ines, of a key individual to each connecting circuit, means for retaining each key in the position to which it is moved by the operator, and means common to the connecting circuits and under coiitrol or" a telephone exchange operator for'efiecting the release of all the keys from the retaining means.

2. In a telephone exchange system, the

combination with a plurality of operators to which it is moved by the operator, and an exchange operators keyboard including a key or device com o to the connecting circuits and operable to et'ect the release of all the keys from re aining means.

3. In a telephme exchange system, the combination with aplurality of opcrators circuits for connecting substation lines, of a listening-key individual to each connecting onseo ent separation rality of listening keys situated atthe position of a single operator and manually oper able to a closed position, and operators controlling means operable to restore said keys to their normal open position, said .controlling means being common to all the keys but mounted independently and separated therefrom.

5. The combination with a plurality of listening keys adapted for use by a telephone operator, of means for temporarily locking each key in the listening position, an electromagnetic releasing mechanism for each key, and a contact device in circuit with all the releasing mechanisms and under the control of the operator, substantially as described.

6. In a telephone exchange system, the combination with manual switching means and mechanical switching means, of means for governin the movement of elements of both said switching means, controlling circuits for the governing means, and a controlling apparatus comprising keys having contact devices'in the controlling circuits of the manual and mechanical switching means.

7. A telephone switching system comprising manually operable switches and electromechanical switches, connecting circuits for the two classes of switches, keys included in the connectin clrcuits, and controlling apparatus for t e electromechanical switches, said apparatus having associated with it means for controlling the keys of the connecting circuits.

8. The combination with tele hone line selecting apparatus and control ing apparatus therefor, of an operators cord circuit, a locking listenin key included in said circuit, means for re easing the key, and means for actuating the releasmg means, said actuating means being separated from the listening key and situated in proximity to the selector controller.

9. A telephone system comprising operators cord circuits, selecting apparatus which may be connected therewith, a listen-.

mg key included in each cord circuit, and apparatus provided with keys for manipulation by the operator and being adapted to control both the selegt ing apparatus and listening keys.

10. A telephone system comprising operators cord circuits, selecting apparatus which may be connected therewith, a listening key included in each cord circuit, means for retaining each listening key in the position to which it-is moved by the operatoiTz .lnu'ing; keys determining the movement of the selecting apparatus and a key governing: the supply of current to the releasing means, substantially as deserib'etl and for I the p'mrpose set forth.

The combinationwith a telephone key; of means for retaining the key in the movnble member, and a spring position in which it moved, and means for permitting a limited movement of the key toward its normal position while the retaining means remains in engagement with saitl' key.

12. A key comprising :1 mocuble member, a magnet and its arnutture for locking the novable with said 'inen'iber and upon which the;

:u'nmture supported.

stems 13. In a telephone, exchange system, the combination with a listening key including a movable member, an electromagnet and an armature for said electromagnetmounted. upon the member and being movable independently thereof, of an energizing circuit for the electromagnet, and a plurality of contact devices in the energizing circuit, one of which Contact devices is controlled by the movement of the key v substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 7

In testimony whereof, I'have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 23d (lay of August- 1907.

WILLIAM CHRISTENSEN.

Witnesses:

GEO. WILLIs PIERCE, JOSEPH A. GATELY. 

